Printer is a commonly seen device in an office environment, which is mainly used to print computer-processed results on a related medium. Currently network printing inside a local network becomes ordinary, and some organizations, e.g., corporations and schools, even arrange a dedicated printer server enabling a user to install a client drive program of a printer on his/her computer and thus print files (e.g., photos, documents, etc.) in the computer on a printer managed by the printer server. Since the computer, the printer and the printer server are all situated within the local network, which forms a closed system for the organizations, it is easy to perform the security management and the printing for the print tasks.
However, a print user may also be located outside a local network in many circumstances. For instance, when a user on a business trip browses emails on a portable computing device such as a laptop computer, a smart phone, or a tablet computer, he/she may hope to print the content of the emails on a printer of the hotel where he/she stays. The user may add the device to the local network of the hotel to connect with the printer and install a corresponding printer driver to print the emails. Apparently, this is not convenient because the hotel may not be willing to open its local network to the public, and may also require complicated set-ups even if adding to the local network is allowed for users. Moreover, it often takes time and efforts to seek and install the driver for a certain printer model. In particular when the user uses a mobile terminal like a smart phone, possibly no corresponding driver(s) has/have been developed for such mobile terminals. Nowadays, with the rapid development of mobile internet techniques, the user expects a more flexible and efficient printing implementation, rather than that of the traditional local networks.
At present there have been approaches of providing printing service via the Internet, e.g., cloud printing. A printer server for controlling the printer is provided, and then an IP address that may be accessed over the Internet is assigned to the printer server, such that the user can send via the Internet the content to be printed directly to the printer server which in turn controls the printer to perform printing. Nevertheless, such cloud printing technique requires the corporation to buy a dedicated printer supporting the cloud printing function, whereas the various types of traditional printers widely applied presently cannot be utilized, which would no doubt increase many extra expenses for the corporation.
Furthermore, two-dimensional codes are widely used currently, for example, the user may acquire related information or download a related application via a two-dimensional code. Therefore, in many circumstances, it may be necessary to print the two-dimensional codes for the user to scan and acquire information. However, among the existing cloud printing techniques, the two-dimensional codes are only transmitted as images, and when the network connection is somewhat in a poor condition, this may give rise to such problems as a longer print delay.
So there is a need for a network printing technique which is compatible with an existing printer and/or improve the two-dimensional code printing.